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Animal Liberation ACT has been campaigning against the kangaroo kill for a number of years now. Having large populations of kangaroos killed in the same nature parks repeatedly is of grave ethical and ecological concern for the future conservation of kangaroos in these reserves.

Every one assisted in ways they were able and every way of helping was undeniably crucial. Many sat patiently outside the reserves listening and watching night after night; others went trekking in the reserves during the shooting to disrupt it. Despite being hunted and harassed by rangers in white utes, the wildlife protectors moved persistently from one reserve to the next along the reserve boundaries, interstate supporters travelled from afar to help, people assisted by being on the sidelines passionately supporting the campaign, and others aided in important behind-the-scenes work. Some nights we were successful in stopping and halting the shooting, other nights less so, but we still held a solid united front and impacted in ways that are often not recognisable or measurable. Each year the community of activists who work on the kangaroo campaign becomes stronger—confidence develops and empowerment grows, becoming more self-directed, and we learn more. This can only get better. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts—without your help we could not have achieved what we did in 2013 for the kangaroos in the ACT.

See Animal Liberation ACT's Media Release about the successful attempts to stall the shooting during the 2013 kill.

*The Government originally intended to kill 1,455 animals in 2013. Due to the frontline action of the dedicated wildlife activists, however, the number actually killed was reduced to 1,149.*

See Animal Liberation ACT's Media Release about the 2013 demonstration against the government’s annual wildlife slaughter.

See a report from an independent observer on the 2013 substantive hearing in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in which the decision to grant the licences to kill was reviewed (AT 13/41). This followed the interim hearing in which Animal Liberation ACT took part (AT 13/40), and which was successful in obtaining a temporary suspension of the licences to kill the animals.

Protestors save almost 1,000 kangaroos in 2012 ACT kill

On 12 June 2012 the ACT Government announced the end to their kill for this year. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of concerned citizens protesting against the killings, the Government fell far short of its intended target of 2,015 animals.

Canberrans were shocked by images from the massacre sites revealed during the kills. Monitors at the killing fields witnessed animals left for dead with shot wounds to the neck and body, and butchered remains of once healthy animals half buried in mud and slurry in the slaughter pits.

Kangaroo bodies buried in a death pit on one of Canberra's nature reserves during the 2012 kill (Photo by Friends of Animal Army)

The fate of Canberra's native wildlife - shot and buried in mud (Photo by Friends of Animal Army)

Decapitated joeys in the death pit (Photo by Friends of Animal Army)

Adult and young together til the brutal end (Photo by Friends of Animal Army)

The cruel and undignified end for some of Canberra's famous local kangaroos (Photo by Friends of Animal Army)

A shot kangaroo left to die during Canberra's 2012 kill;see ALACT's media release about this kangaroo here

A butchered joey from the 2012 kangaroo kill, which the ACT Government claimed was 'humanely' conducted

Animal Liberation calls ACT Government to account

Animal Liberation ACT has written to the ACT Chief Minister about aspects of the 2012 kangaroo slaughter in ACT nature reserves. You can read our letter here.

What you can do

If you would like to lodge your protest against the ACT Government’s ongoing slaughter of healthy kangaroos and joeys in our 'Bush Capital', click here to view the appropriate people to write to.

Opposition to the killings

Animal Liberation ACT is not alone in opposing these brutal killings in the Territory. While the ACT Government's 2011 survey of only 600 residents found some (uninformed) support for the killings, a recent Canberra Times poll found that the majority of the almost 5,000 respondents opposed the killing.

On the day this poll closed, Animal Liberation ACT held a demonstration outside the ACT Legislative Assembly to make it clear to the Government that many Canberrans oppose the kill. Click here to see ALACT's media release about our opposition to the kill, and our rebuttal of the Government's spurious justifications for the slaughter.